Saturday, April 1, 2017

I held a little race last month: I ordered the Mezco One:12 Collective Flash and Zoom (AKA Reverse Flash) from two different sellers and waited to see who would arrive first. Guess what? Zoom managed to arrive just a few hours before Flash due to him arriving via one shipping company and Flash another. Still, arriving the same day was pretty close right? Well, guess what else is close? The Flash and Zoom. Zoom is the first Previews Exclusive figure we've received that is actually a completely different character from the standard release, as Zoom is really the variant of Flash. I wasn't planning on picking Zoom up, but then I started thinking about how cool these two would look together on the shelf. Usually I'd review Flash first since he's the default figure, but you know what? I'm going to honor the results of the race and give Professor Thawne the first go. Let's take a closer look at Zoom after the break...

* Like most other One:12 Collective figures, Zoom's articulation is phenomenal. The joints are plentiful, functional, and feel extremely sturdy. Like other characters wearing full body suits, they're also all hidden. Zoom's costume helps in giving him a full range of motion and you should have no problem putting in some excellent running, jumping, and fighting poses.

* Perhaps the the biggest technical difference between Flash and Zoom is the headsculpt. Zoom has a very nasty looking scowl on his face. The sculpt is really clean with some incredible paint work and a nice wash on the teeth to bring attention to his grimace.

* The costume on Zoom is really well done. It's rather simple, just a basic, fairly form fitting bodysuit with a chest symbol, but the look is pretty impressive. The material looks fantastic and definitely gives the figure a vibe that is far more impressive than a Mego. It also feels like a very high quality piece, and I'm not noticing anything in the construction that causes me to feel concerned. The combination of yellow with red highlights just pops too, making this guy a truly standout figure in the line.

* I want to point out two things about Zoom's boots: 1. They have a very nice range of motion, overcoming what has been one of the weaker aspects of these figures in the past. 2. The boots not only have cool little bolts on the sides but they also have a nice dark wash to bring out the textures on the soles.

* Here's a closer look at the Reverse Flash logo, too. I love how these are raised, solid emblems. They look so darn classy.

* Zoom comes with three sets of hands: Grappling hands, standard fists, and some flat, open palms that look like running hands. These look great and swap out easily. It's not a ton, but it's about all a character not interacting with too many accessories needs.

* Well, I guess you could argue that Zoom's tornado arm is a hand as well. It attaches to the wrist peg and gives the effect that Zoom is creating a whirlwind with his hand. The translucent plastic looks pretty slick and I'm impressed that the figure is able to hold up this fairly hefty accessory.

* The coolest accessory that Zoom comes with is a set of four lightning bolts that can attach to his arms and legs. These are cast in a red translucent plastic (Flash's are yellow!) and they can rather easily over Zoom's wrists and boots. These really add to the dynamic look of this figure, making him one of the nicest looking pieces you could have on display.

* Like every other One:12 Collective figure, Zoom comes with a
personalized display stand. His is the Reverse Flash lightning bolt logo. The peg to hold the figure on the stand is positioned off
center to give the figure plenty of room to stand or run.

* Zoom also includes a clear plastic display arm. It can be inserted into the included display base where the
foot peg is (you just have to remove the peg). You
can get some great, secure poses here as the joints are very tight on
the display bar and it can absolutely support the figure's weight. Running poses work great!

* Mezco makes these figures very easy to store. For longer term storage, it's nice to know that the gorgeous boxes these figures come packaged in are completely collector friendly. Second,to keep the extra accessories and hands close by when not in
use, Mezco also gives you a cool branded bag. It's just a simple plastic
bag with a Ziploc styled closure, but it's appreciated.

The Negatives:

* My one complaint with Zoom is the belt. He and Flash both share this piece and there's just something about it that I find awkward. The belt is made from a harder plastic and is permanently attached to the back of the costume. It's not attached in the front, though, which is intended to help the waist articulation move smoother. Unfortunately, it seems like a potential breaking hazard due to the thin plastic.

Zoom is a Great and a 1/2 One:12 Collective figure and a very welcome addition to this line, which is sorely needing more villains. The sculpt and costume are superb and the accessories are really fun. While he shares most things with Flash, I can't highly enough recommend getting both because of how well they look together. You'll have some great displays with this pair.

Probably not the best or most appropriate place to put this, but wanted to point you to The Toy Box (thetoybox1138.blogspot.com) for next week's Round Robin Challenge. It goes live at 8:00 AM EST on March 10, 2017! I hope to see a link from you in the comment section of the challenge with your post!